Dreamtime
by alooriana
Summary: .. xing-ke x tianzi .. Some nights, dreams aren't kind to you- but there'll always be someone there to tuck you back in and say 'it's okay.'


Even now, at seventeen, a fully fledged empress of the nation and a symbol of her great country- Tianzi _still_ had nightmares.

They had been things that had haunted her since she'd been a little girl, usually creating frightening dreamscapes where she was completely alone, _or_ among a crowd of many people, all of whom refused to listen or talk to her. There were great white plains with dead trees littering the desolate wastelands, their dry and brittle claws grasping and tearing at the sky; there was darkness, solitude and shadows that stretched longer than they should. Having had such a sheltered childhood, being alone was probably the thing that Tianzi feared most and that was easily then enough to spark the bad dreams that woke her up suddenly at night in a cold sweat, gasping for breath with her hands clutching the sheets, knuckles white and trembling.

Also, not only did being _alone_ scare the empress, but in every single one of these nightmares, there was one very important person whom was missing; someone whom she couldn't bear being without. Finding herself without Xing-ke in each of these horrors was more than Tianzi could bear, and it was usually during the dream when the realization set in that he wasn't with her that she jolted awake, trembling like a leaf and wondering just how much of it had been real? Had it really happened? After all they had been through, had they finally parted at last?

She felt a little silly doing this sometimes, but since this had been something that had plagued her as far back as she could remember, it had developed into a habit that was impossible to break and therefore she couldn't stop herself from gently shifting the covers and leaving her bed, pacing down the hallway in her bare feet with a destination already in mind. Auto-pilot. She had to check, just for herself.

Of course, being her bodyguard- among other things- Xing-ke's room was never far from her own. When they were staying in the palace he was _always_ next door to her, which was of some comfort; but even though sheknewdeep down in her heart that he'd never leave, she forced herself to make sure, even if it was just to satisfy her childish suspicions.

And, well, when the aforementioned man was awoken by his door being timidly pushed open by an empress who looked as though she had just been a ghost, it was only natural for him to worry over her, right?

Sometimes she had tears in her eyes and sometimes she simply looked shocked, but no matter how severe the symptoms were, it never stopped him from rushing over to her with words of comfort upon his lips because, somehow, Xing-ke knew exactly what was running through her mind.

Perhaps it was because they'd spent so much time in each other's company that it was now impossible for them to keep anything secret; or, perhaps it was because he'd endured the same nightmares himself, time and time again. Fears are usually unjustified, but that doesn't stop them from interfering with whatever they liked.

He kneels down to the ground on one knee and takes Tianzi's small hands in his own, immediately noticing how cool to the touch they are and the way in which they're shaking- _it had been a bad one this time, hadn't it? _He doesn't want to impose his touch on the empress, but it looks as though she needs it- wants it- some confirmation that what she'd just seen before she'd ventured down the hall had been a hallucination. So, he gently brushes his thumbs over the top of her hands in a comforting way and looks up, trying to meet her gaze and break her vision away from staring at things that aren't there.

"Tianzi-sama?" _Perhaps her name will get her to look at me- come on, Empress. It's alright. I'm here._

And it looks as though it breaks her out of her trance, deep brown eyes suddenly refocusing from wherever else they'd been and fixing the man in front of her with a bewildered stare. It's only as she realizes that her cheeks are cold because they're tearstained and that she's not in bed anymore- no, she's in Xing-ke's room instead- that what happened finally sinks in, and her lower lip briefly trembles.

"X-Xing-ke…? I…" Now she takes a deep breath and tries to compose herself because she doesn't want him to see her like this, even if this happens more often than it should- why should he have to worry about her? The next time she speaks, her voice is a lot quieter, as if she's trying to make the disturbance to his night a little less dramatic. "… I had a bad dream." _A nightmare._

"What happened?" _Inviting her to tell him as much or as little as she wanted, because maybe lending an ear would help._

Momentarily, the thin fingers in his grasp clutch at his own and she bites the soft flesh of her lip as if she's trying to quell the tears that threaten to spill over again at the recollection of the vision, and Xing-ke frowns in concern from his position on the floor. There's not much he can really do- he's useless, in this way- but he wishes that he could _help_ the empress, tell her it's okay not to worry—

"… I was… being chased. Away from the palace, away from you and Kaguya," She begins, her eyes now dropping to their entwined hands—and then, the floor below them. "Away from everyone. I-I don't know who were after me, but they said—they said that if I didn't leave, they'd k--… _k--_…"

A word she can't quite say and a phrase she can't quite bring herself to terms with. After all, speaking it out loud makes everything seem a little more real, and her small frame shudders slightly before she drops to the ground, a soft '_thump_' echoing through Xing-ke's chambers as her clothed knees break her fall.

"… _kill _you."

It makes him start, but before he can react or assess her condition, there's two arms circled tightly around his waist, a warm pressure on his front, and when he looks down, all he can see is a head of silver hair buried into his chest.

The frown on his face softens as he stares down at the empress for a moment or two- she's not crying, but the fashion in which her fingers were bunched in the fabric of his night-shirt and the quivering coming from her delicate body paints a picture of someone in need of comfort- and Xing-ke doesn't have to be asked twice.  
_Not for Tianzi-sama._

Not a few seconds afterwards, his own arms pull her gently but surely towards him- her muscles un-tensing almost immediately- and he whispers softly to her as he strokes her hair in soft, languid movements. His empress. His _everything_.

"It's alright, it's alright." _It is. Trust me_. "I'm not going anywhere- you can believe me. We promised, didn't we? I'd never break my word to you, Tianzi-sama."

And then there's a muffled noise from somewhere around his pectorals and those fingers at his back tighten slightly at his small speech, refusing to let go. Tianzi didn't want to.  
Xing-ke was _all_ she wanted.

"I-I know… I know you wouldn't."

He hopes that she can hear the smile in his voice as he looks down; "Good." – and, he didn't plan to do this, but his head dips down and briefly midnight hair mixes with dusk grey as he places a soft kiss on the pale locks. Tianzi freezes for a moment as she feels the warm pressure on the crown of her head, but there was something about the gesture- so kind, so _genuine-_ that makes her relax completely, and suddenly she's not holding onto him for dear life anymore. It's so warm, so comforting, she feels _right at home_ and it's almost okay enough to venture a thought into sleeping again—

"Though, if I may suggest, empress, I think that spending the rest of the night here would make you catch cold." After all, she'd just climbed out of bed to come here- and in only a night-dress in the cool Chinese evening, there was a high probability that she could fall ill. Always thinking of her. Always.

There's a brief pause as he readies himself and then picks Tianzi up from the floor in one fluid movement, attempting to relocate her but still she's attached to him, still refusing to meet his gaze and holding onto his body.

"I'll take you back to your room n—"

_Rustle, clutch_.

"No--!" _W-Was that too sudden? I-I just.._ "I mean… I… don't want to go back."

Xing-ke wonders what to do here. There wasn't really anywhere else he could take her, at least, that would make her feel safe—and if she didn't go back to her own room, where was she going to stay—

"I… want to be _here_. Please, Xing-ke."

It's kind of hard to make out what she's saying because she's still talking into his chest, but his face takes on a somewhat surprised look as she makes her request. Really; she was very endearing. Of course, he'd never deny anything that the empress asked of him, but this is a little different- and as much as he was devoted to her, _loved_ her, there were some areas that were still a little grey. Shaking his head slightly with a hint of a smile on his face, he changes course and instead, puts her down gently on the ruffled covers of his own bed- hopes it's a good enough compromise for her.

Tianzi is still not looking at him, so he assumes that this is 'good-night' and that it's time to sleep, so he turns to move over to the pallet in his room- after all, it'd be improper for him to be in bed with China's empress, wouldn't it?- but he's stopped by a resistance at his wrist. A hand, and a request.

"D-Don't go."

There's any number of reasons why he could refuse here- scandal, intrusion, the bridge between their classes- but he could never really say 'no' to Tianzi, and that's probably why he turns away. Not to resign himself to the pallet, but instead to traverse to the other side of the bed and slip in quietly beside her, careful not to disturb her form or invade her space.

That doesn't seem to be an issue though, because as soon as the covers have been drawn over them both, that warm pressure is back at his chest and the empress is holding onto him again- to make sure that he's real, and to make sure that he's not leaving her in her nightmares this time.


End file.
